SUMMER TIME–SUMMER TIME–.SUMMER TIME

Isn’t it funny how certain words evoke images in your mind? For instance, for me, the word summer has always meant sunshine, swimming, snowball’s (snow cones for those of you not from South Louisiana) and freedom. No doubt, the impervious conditioning of a carefree childhood, but still today, I can’t help but pair all of those things at this time of year.

I certainly didn’t get the memo that said I was supposed to give up those precious favorites from summer, and as I enjoy a medium, flat-top, sugar-free coconut snowball from the stand close to my house, I can’t understand why anyone would ever want to grow up if that was the rule!

However, I have children, I have a husband, I am a grown-up with grown-up responsibilities, but I also love summer time and joking around, laughing, having fun, and with a son like mine who is a practical joker 24/7, I am constantly reminded to be happy.

Now James Herrington (the husband) would be the first one to say “Work first, play second,” and he is one of the smartest people that I know and unfortunately right about most things. (Don’t tell him I said so or he will be incorrigible!!!) And I do understand that we all have work to do, but why not incorporate fun into that work, especially this time of year?

I certainly have writing deadlines, but surely I can write at the beach. I have stories to edit, and I know I can do that while enjoying a refreshing shaved ice delicacy. (Have I explained enough how awesome coconut snowballs taste?) Then there are things like cooking dinner that well, heck I can’t do anything else while cooking, but it’s summer and hot and who wants to cook dinner? We eat a lot of salad in the summer!

I’m nothing if not amenable to the things that I have to do and the things that I want to do. Anything is possible with planning and scheduling. Some days, I wake up earlier or stay up later to fit everything in, but there is nothing like the feeling of meeting my goals. The key is proper planning. More like perfect planning, but still with the help of my “roll with the punches” family, we push each other to get everything done! The Herrington’s are not an idle little family, and with all of this running around, I feel blessed to have the ability to work anywhere.

After all, we have four high school graduations within our immediate family, football and basketball practices every day all summer long (which includes 20 basketball games in June alone) and one out of state college orientation to attend. I’m excited to say that with all of the overactive family life, I also have my new website being launched any day now, lisaherrington.com, my new novel back from the editor that will be published in JULY, and two short stories published in the next few weeks. (I’ve been busy, really busy!)

So for those of you out there, battling your way through responsibilities and hanging on to your carefree ways by a thread, I say HANG ON! You can do it! Balance is the key and by tweaking things here and there, you can have it all!!!